Angiographic and Doppler ultrasound comparative measurements of mean coronary blood flow

Using results of a computer simulation of the propagation of contrast medium in coronary arteries the authors could improve their angiographic method for measurement of mean coronary blood flow in ml/min. This method is based on 3D-reconstruction of the coronary artery tree from biplane coronary angiograms and computation of the contrast medium distribution along the main branches one or two cardiac cycles after onset of a constant rate injection. Flow values obtained in patients with injection rates above and below peak coronary flow were compared. As expected from the simulation, flow values obtained with the low injection rates were systematically lower than the corresponding ones obtained with the high injection rates. Comparative flow measurements performed with a Doppler “FloWire” system were in good agreement with those obtained angiographically with strong injections